Excited groom during the hora, B'nai Torah, Boca Raton

David's expression of pure joy and excitement dominates this frame despite the seemingly chaotic environment within the image. A sea of well wishers, guests and family alike, crowd around Jessica and David, highlighting them as the central element within the spinning confines of the hora, a traditional dance that typically starts the festivities at Jewish weddings in South Florida and other regions of the United States and beyond. Choosing very targeted lighting in this image helps to isolate David's face, as well as add depth to the scene, highlighting faces and minimizing background distractions. The choice of black and white for this image was deliberate; we often choose to isolate emotional reactions from the people we're photographing by eliminating elements that can take away from the faces and body language we're looking to showcase, which can include bright colors or clashing patterns. Removing the color from the image can simplify the composition and allow the viewer to really see the motion and emotion in the scene.

Traditional dancing at Jewish weddings is amazing to witness, exciting and chaotic to photograph, and leaves us breathless and emotional every time. The families and guests take the job of celebrating very seriously and allow themselves to let go fully while embracing the newly wed couple, often literally holding them up with joy and exuberance. While no religion or tradition is better than another, Jewish weddings tend to be amongst our very favorites due to the brightness of the emotions displayed by the many attendants, as well as the couple getting married.